Power to the people: Pakistan launches hybrid rickshaws

The new Chinese-made transport is powered solely by electricity, setting it apart from its clunky gasoline-powered predecessors.

ISLAMABAD: Electric cars, it is widely believed, are the future, and the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in Pakistan agrees. So say goodbye to smoke-belching, ear-blasting motorcycle rickshaws and say hello to the Zar Motors Z5.
The new Chinese-made transport is powered solely by electricity. Seven hours plugged into a standard outlet provides enough power for about 120 kilometers. A two-hour rapid charge can deliver enough for just over 60km. Equipped with solar panels on its rooftop, the Z5 holds the charge, adding more kilometers to its range.
The new three-wheelers have room for a driver and three passengers. It has two headlights, a digital instrument cluster and cup holders, and comes with a stylish metallic paint job, setting it apart from its clunky gasoline-powered predecessors.
The new vehicles will save foreign exchange and gasoline, and be economically viable, said Malik Shah Mohammad Wazir, special assistant to the province’s chief minister.
Pakistan has sought alternatives to internal combustion engines before, and introduced low-cost compressed natural gas in the 1990s. But its availability dwindled and it nearly disappeared from the market, forcing people back to their obsolete gas guzzlers or used Japanese imported cars with better fuel efficiency.
With rising gasoline prices and limited mass transit, many urban Pakistanis have turned to private cab services. Banks have reduced finance interest rates on cars to attract customers, and construction of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor will enlarge the carbon footprint even more. By 2030, Pakistan is expected to emit more than 1.6 billion tons of carbon a year, up from 405 million tons at the moment. It has invested little time on the issue, and there is almost zero public awareness.
The country’s climate change minister Zahid Hamid says Pakistan is unlikely to be able to reduce its carbon footprint by the targeted 20 percent without receiving “up to $14 billion annually to adapt to climate change impacts.”
Meanwhile, despite Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s ambition, not everyone is impressed with their new electric vehicles.
“These rickshaws are really slow,” complained one passenger. “When you are riding it, even old bangers drive past you. You are like the turtle in a race.”
A mechanical engineer in Lahore explains why. “Looking at the specifications, first, the vehicle is too slow. Secondly, the electric-powered engine will not produce the sort of power required to carry around the load on some of the steep roads in the country. It is nice to see environmentally friendly vehicles, but we need work done too.”